ML20129A670
| ML20129A670 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/09/1984 |
| From: | Kammerer C NRC OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS (OCA) |
| To: | Asselstine, Palladino, Roberts NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20127B589 | List:
|
| References | |
| FOIA-84-784 NUDOCS 8507150362 | |
| Download: ML20129A670 (2) | |
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s - NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMi$SION wasauseTow.o. c.asm 3
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1 MEMORANDUM FOR: Chaiman Pallidino
- Comissioner Roberts Comissioner Asselstine Comissioner Bernthal Comissioner Zech FROM:
Carlton Kannerer. Director ,
Office of Congressional Affairs
$UBJECT:
LLOYD SUBCOMMITTEE TO HOLD HEARING ON HEU/ LEU FUEL CONVERSION '
We have received advance notice that the Subcomittee on Energy Research and Production of the House Comittee on Science and Technology plans to hold a hearing on Research Reactor Fuel Conversion. This hearing is scheduled for. Tuesday September 25, 1984 at 2 P.M. The Comission will be invited to appear or send a designee. Also attending will be the State Department, DOE, National Bureau of Standards, General Atomic.
Babcock and Wilcox, and the National Organization of Research and Test Reactors. .
l The principal issues to be discussed are: .
- Whether conversion is necessary for national safety reasons. ~
international policy reasons, or both; and
- Who,should pay the cost of conversion.
We will forward the letter of invitation as soon as we receive it, cc.: ED0 "
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FILE LOCATION D EncurvE on:ve- l l et E. i j SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMAPKS j DESCRIPTION CLETTER $ MEwo O nEro 1 O otMER Lloyd setecsmittee to hold hearing on - PRIORITT MEU/ LED Fuel Conversion on. 9/25/04 1. I assone that Minogne will testify -
not clear yet. Testimony to be written & RES in any event. Suspense A&$GMQ TO DATE WOAMATiCas ROUTWG to EDO 9/14/84.
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GCunningham EDO R/F Hon. Nunzio J. PalIedino Chairman Nuclear Regulatory CCmnission 2[ j Washington, D.C. 20555
Dear Mr. Chairman:
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We are pleased to invite the Commission and a rop estions and Ener,9y Research & Production. -
Herris, elso appear at the hearing.mittoo if the Commission c .
. " slon It willof.comestic research and test reactors to los enriched uranius
~ " convene on . Tuesday, September the Rayburn House Of tice Building. 25,1984, at 2:00 p.m. In Room 2318 of The purposes of the hearing are:
, 1) to examine the need for and potential im-pact of r.equiring owners of research and test reactors to convert fran highly enriched uronium OtEU) fuel to LEU fuel partment of Energy's (DOE) R&D progrea o;n LEU fuel; 3) to review the goals for the University Reactor Fuel Assistanco Program; 4) to assess the
. ,,<. .*- S . vicentify ' ho hcuW hid foesuIchionversions, i f require r .
The Subecmmittees purposes of the hearing,would appreciate your comments on any issue rolevant descrice the Commission's pos(tlon retotive to purpose , above.
number 1)in Additional the Committee's policy on the editing of transcripts.information is Tions concerning 225-4320, the hearing, or tar. Louis please Ventre, Jr. contact Dr. Harlan Watson at (202)If you have et (202) 225-8056.
Sincerely, DON FUQUA Chairnen g
Ccemittee on Science P.ARILYN LLOYD, Chairman i
V & Technology Subccremittee on Energy Research & Production k
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Hon. Nunzio J. Palladino Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555
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Dear Mr. Chairman:
We are pleased to invite the Commission and a representative of the ACRS to testify at a joint hearing of the Subcommittees on Energy Development & Appil-cations end Energy Research & Production. It would also be helpful to the Com-mittee I) the Commission could arrange to have its consultant, Dr. Donald R.
Harris, also appear at the hearing. The subject of the hearing is the conver-sion of domestic research and test reactors to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel.
It witI convene on Tuesday, September 25,1984, at 2:00 p.m. In Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
The purposes of the hearing are: 1) to examine the need for and potential im-pact of requiring owners of research and test reactors to convert from highty enriched uranium (HEU) fuel.to LEU fu'el; 2) to identify the progress of the De-partment of Energy's (DOE) R&D program on LEU fuel; 3) to review the DOE's goals for the University Reactor. Fuel Assistance Program; 4) to assess the readiness of the LEU fuel vendors to provide the required fuel; and, 5) to identify who should pay for such conversions, if required.
The Subcommittees would appreciate your comments on any issue relevant to the purposes of the hearing. In particular, your written testimony should fully describe the Commission's.posjtlon relative to purpose number 1), above.
Additional Information is attached regarding the preparation of testimony and the Committee's poiicy on the editing of transcripts. If you have any ques-tions concerning the hearing, please contact Dr. Harlan Watson at (202) 225-4320, or Mr. Louis Ventre, Jr. at (202) 225-8056.
Sincerely, 9
kT DON FUQUA, Chaihfian 6%wMA'RILYN LLdYD, Chairr$an Committee on S ence Subcommittee on Energy
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HEARING CN "CXMYERSICE (F IMIVERSITY RESEAROi REACTORS TO LMIOlED ORAMitM" September 25, 1984 )
l Purnocec .
The purposes of this joint hearing of the Subcommittees on Energy Development and Applications and Energy Aesearch end Production are to (1) examine the need for and potential Impact of requiring owners of research and test reactors to convert from highly enriched urenlum (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel;
- 12) Identify the progress of the Department of Energy's (DOE) program on LEU fuel; (3) review the DOE's goals for the University Reactor Fuel Assistance Pro-9 ram; (4) assess the readiness of the LEU f uel vendors to provide the required fuel; and (5) Identify who should pay for such conversions, if required.
Background
in the U.S., there are 36 Department of Energy (DOE) research and test reactors, three reactors of other government agencies, 23 university reactors, and five private reactors which utilizo HEU (enrichment 70% or greater) fuel. The U.S.
provides the bulk of the HEU used worldwide is research, training, and test reactors other than those supplied by the Soviet Union. AQput 1100.kilogra-ts
' " * (kg) 'of HEU are used annually 'for this purpose (600 kg export, 500 kg domestic),. '
and IT lias been' estImstEd 't' hat de than four nietric' tohs of HEU are In'dircu
'k ' i- lation at any given timet*' Concerns about potentiel theft or nuclear prolifere ' "'
V tion involving clversion of some of this HEU led the Nuclear Regulatory Conmis-slon (NRC) to issue a po! Icy statement In August 1982 expressing its support for conversion to LEU (enrichment less than 2C",). This position has been criticize.d
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'as unnecessary' by 'some 'unlversity represen' tat'Ives.
On August 6,1984 (49 FR 27769-27772), the NRC published a proposed rule "in-tended to reduce the risk of thef t or diversion of HEU f uel used in non-power
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and. the consequenceseto..pubj lc:healthe saf ety.and the;envirornent.frcm *;8Ne such theft or' diversion." Under the proposed rule:
e The NRC will not issue a construction permit for a new non-power reac-ter that would use HEU tuel unless the app!! cant devronstrates that the l proposed reactor will have a " unique purpose" that "cannot reasonably be accomplished without the use of HEU fuel ."
l l e Each licensee currently authorized to possess and use HEU fuel (1) could not acquire any more of it, so long as acceptable LEU fuel was available, and (II) would be required to replace all HEU fuel in their l
possession with LEU fuel on en NRC-epproved schedule, e Research reactors which could not technically convert to LEU would be required to use fuel es close to 20% enrichment as possible.
e Within 12 months af ter the ef fectivo date of the rule, licensees now authorized to use HEU fuel would be required to develop and submit to he NRC's Director of the Of fica of Nuclear Reactor Regulation a pro-posed schedule for conversion to LEU f uel .
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Only the university reactors, the private reactors, and the National Bureau of Standards reactor are licensed by the !!RC; these account for about 10$ of the HEU shipped. The university reactors could be strongly of fected by the proposec NRC rule. A major concern is that several university reactors moy close down if the rule is implemented due to the cost of conversion to LEU. In its background information accompanying the proposed rul o, the NRC noted that "NRC shares the j licensees' expressed view that conversion costs should l argely or entire [ sic]
be financed by the Federal Government. Historically, the DOE and its predeces- !
sor agencies have provided significant support to research and test reactor pro- '
grams. The availability of . Federal support will be a key factor in determining the availability of LEU fuel and schedur es for conversion."
Other financial considerations are the potential costs of safety reviews and/or ret iconsing litigation required during the reactor conversion process. In fact, on June 14, 1984, the University of California at Los Angeles announced it had decided to permanently shutdown a research reactar it had operated since 1960 attor spending moro than four years trying to rel Icense it.
'The Cmmittee on Science and Technology's Energy subcommittees have Jurisdiction over two DOE progems that specifically impact the conversion issue. The Sub-committee on Energy Development and Appiications has jurisdiction over the Uni-versity Reactor Fuel Assistance program, while the Subccrnmittee on Energy Re-search and Production has jurisdiction over the Reduced Enrichment for Resesrch and Test Reactors (RERTR) program.
.The University Reactor Fuel Assistance program provides fuel for university re-search reactor f acil ities.. The fiscal year 1985 DOE request was 51.9 million to provide fuel for up to 6 university research reactors. During consideration of the DOE FY 1985 cuthcrization bill, the Committee edded 11.25 million to the progre to enable university reacter opcretors to ecrnmence studies which could leaa to the util ization of LEU f uel . The house end Senate Appropriations Com -
mittees agreed with ft:is position in their consideration of the FY 1985 Energy anc !f ater Development Bill (Pubt ic Law 98-3601 wriich provices 52,000,000 "for low-enriched uranium at university rescarch reactors and to comply with the House report, requirement" .that ,tne Oc gr 9:.s
- yp M ary 317 1985Wttsis' situs'tlch an,tmen.t of. E,qergy d'Indidde .jr,epor;t.,1o proposals 'to address ,the Committeed. .-c.
it in the .~
Fiscal Year 1985 budget."
The RERTR program, managed by the Argonno National Laboratory, has the objective of demonstrating the feasibility of the new LEU fuels to repl ace existing HEU fuel without significant changes to existing reactor cores or facilities, or significent decreese in performance characteristics of the reactors." According to the NRC, current information " indicates that conversion of several non-power reactors fra HEU fuet to LEU fuel is technically feasible, and if the goals of the RERTR program are successfully achieved over the next five years, will be technically feasible for almost all the remaining reactors." However, some reactors require HEU fuct to produce radiopharmaceuticals and precision neutron beams for research purposes.
Witnesses from the NRC, Deportment of State, DOE, af f ceted l icensees, and other knculedgable parties will be invitod to testify during this hearing. A list of likely wilacssos is attached.
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L3xgty %' Q SES -
facri .L: Casemissioners of the Nuclear Regulatory Ccanaissi.on
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fantl.2: Other Government Witnesses DOE (RERTR and University Reactor Fuel Assistanco Uprograms), the NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ssfety considerations), and the Department of State (nucicar proliferation concerns) -
Eanni 3.:. Licensees and others Dr. A. FraNis DiMeglio (director of the University of Rhode Island's reactor and spokesman for the university operators of U.S. research
.rooctors), the National Durono of Standards (operator of the only -
government-owned and -operated research reactor licensed by the NRC),
e spokesperson for one of the five private reactors which use HEU fuel (probably Westinghouse or Union Carbide), and Edwin Zebroski of the Electric Power Research Institute. .
Penet 1: Vendors .
Babcock & Wlicox and GA Technologle's, Inc. on LEU fuel availability
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